Risaldar, meaning the commander of a risala or risalah (a body of horse, regardless if troop or regiment) in Persian, is a mid-level rank in cavalry and armoured units of the Indian and Pakistan Army. In other arms, such as the infantry, the equivalent rank is subedar.
Risaldar was also a Viceroy's commissioned officer's rank in the British Indian Army, until 1947.
The Indian Army and Pakistan Army have a unique set of ranks, called junior commissioned officers (JCO). They stand between non-commissioned officers and commissioned officers. A risaldar ranks above a naib risaldar and below a risaldar major.
The JCO evolved from the Viceroy's commissioned officers (VCO), established during the British Raj in 1885. The VCOs themselves succeeded the so called native officers holding a commission of the Governor General.
In the late 19th century, the spelling risaldar was uncommon, and the rank was usually listed as ressaldar or russuldar (e.g. in the Bombay Cavalry). During World War I, the spelling rissaldar became common.
A rissaldar was roughly equivalent to a native captain and ranked between risaldar-major and ressaidar (later jemadar). But like all VCOs, they were always outranked by the most junior officer with a King's or Queen's commission.
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A viceroy's commissioned officer (VCO) was a senior Indian member of the Indian Army, during the British Raj. VCOs were senior in rank to warrant officers in the British Army, and held a commission issued by the viceroy. Also known as "Indian officers" or "native officers", they had authority only over Indian troops and were subordinate to all British King's (resp. Queen's) commissioned officers (KCO resp. QCO), Indian Commissioned Officers (ICO) and King's commissioned Indian officers (KCIO).
Subedar is a rank of junior commissioned officer in the Indian Army; a senior non-commissioned officer in the Pakistan Army, and formerly a Viceroy's commissioned officer in the Indian Army, during the Raj. Subedar or subadar was the second-highest rank of an Indian officer in the military forces of British India, ranking below "British Commissioned Officers" and above "Local Non-Commissioned Officers". Indian officers were promoted to this rank on the basis of both lengths of service and individual merit.
Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) is a term used for a group of military ranks which is higher than havildar (non-commissioned officer) and lower than lieutenant (commissioned officer). The term is only used by Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. Senior havildars are promoted to JCO rank on the basis of merit and seniority, restricted by the number of vacancies. JCOs are treated as a separate class and hold additional privileges.